Li-ion battery technology has become very important in recent years as these batteries show great promise as power sources that can lead us to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. The development of new materials for Li-ion batteries is the focus of research in prominent groups in the field of materials science throughout the world. Li-ion batteries can be considered to be the most impressive success story of modern electrochemistry in the last two decades. They power most of today's portable devices, and seem to overcome the psychological barriers against the use of such high energy density devices on a larger scale for more demanding applications, such as EV. Since this field is advancing rapidly and attracting an increasing number of researchers, it is important to provide current and timely updates of this constantly changing technology. In this review, we describe the key aspects of Li-ion batteries: the basic science behind their operation, the most relevant components, anodes, cathodes, electrolyte solutions, as well as important future directions for R&D of advanced Li-ion batteries for demanding use, such as EV and load-leveling applications.

Challenges in the development of advanced Li-ion batteries: a review

Mechanical alloying (MA) is a solid-state powder processng technique involving repeated welding, fracturing, and rewelding of powder particles in a high-energy ball mill. Originally developed to produce oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) nickel- and iron-base superalloys for applications in the aerospace industry, MA has now been shown to be capable of synthesizing a variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium alloy phases starting from blended elemental or prealloyed powders. The non-equilibrium phases synthesized include supersaturated solid solutions, metastable crystalline and quasicrystalline phases, nanostructures, and amorphous alloys. Recent advances in these areas and also on disordering of ordered intermetallics and mechanochemical synthesis of materials have been critically reviewed after discussing the process and process variables involved in MA. The often vexing problem of powder contamination has been analyzed and methods have been suggested to avoid/minimize it. The present understanding of the modeling of the MA process has also been discussed. The present and potential applications of MA are described. Wherever possible, comparisons have been made on the product phases obtained by MA with those of rapid solidification processing, another non-equilibrium processing technique.

Mechanical Alloying And Milling

Metal Oxides and Oxysalts as Anode Materials for Li Ion Batteries

Nano- and bulk-silicon-based insertion anodes for lithium-ion secondary cells

Despite the imminent commercial introduction of Li-ion batteries in electric drive vehicles and their proposed use as enablers of smart grids based on renewable energy technologies, an intensive quest for new electrode materials that bring about improvements in energy density, cycle life, cost, and safety is still underway. This Progress Report highlights the recent developments and the future prospects of the use of phases that react through conversion reactions as both positive and negative electrode materials in Li-ion batteries. By moving beyond classical intercalation reactions, a variety of low cost compounds with gravimetric specific capacities that are two-to-five times larger than those attained with currently used materials, such as graphite and LiCoO(2), can be achieved. Nonetheless, several factors currently handicap the applicability of electrode materials entailing conversion reactions. These factors, together with the scientific breakthroughs that are necessary to fully assess the practicality of this concept, are reviewed in this report.

Beyond Intercalation-Based Li-Ion Batteries: The State of the Art and Challenges of Electrode Materials Reacting Through Conversion Reactions

Nanostructured Si–C composite anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Hollow structured CoFe2O4 nanospheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The uniform hollow nanosphere architecture of the as-prepared CoFe2O4 has been confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis, which give an outer diameter of 200–300 nm and a wall thickness of about 100 nm. CoFe2O4 nanospheres exhibited a high reversible capacity of 1266 mA h g−1 with an excellent capacity retention of 93.6% over 50 cycles and an improved rate capability. CoFe2O4 could be a promising high capacity anode material for lithium ion batteries.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/23/5/055402/pdf

Jung-Ho Ahn

Papers

Nanostructured Si–C composite anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Hollow CoFe2O4 nanospheres as a high capacity anode material for lithium ion batteries

Nanoparticle-dispersed PEO polymer electrolytes for Li batteries

Physical and electrochemical properties of doped lithium iron phosphate electrodes

Electrochemical properties of carbon coated LiFePO4 cathode materials